Yesterday I wrote about “the abuses of language…that I see in many recent pronouncements from our Church leadership,” with my focus on two recent Vatican announcements. Now let me turn to a few noteworthy American examples.
Sometimes the misuse of language is downright Orwellian. When Chicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich announced that unvaccinated Catholics must not be allowed inside churches without masks, he stipulated that each parish should have officials at the doors to check every individual for proof of vaccination. These people — who will block the doors to those who are unmasked and undocumented — are identified as “the parish’s greeter/hospitality team.” Some greeting; some hospitality.
Unless I’m much mistaken, these “greeters” will not be asking parishioners to show the results of their latest tuberculosis tests. They won’t quiz people about other legitimate public-health concerns (“Do you smoke? Take intravenous drugs? Engage in sexual practices known to spread disease?”). They will have one, and only one, medical concern: the single test ordered by Cardinal Cupich in his capacity as a public-health official. But the cardinal is not a public-health official. He is a bishop of the Catholic Church, who should have other concerns.
So if the parish guards (let’s use honest language) are deciding which people should be allowed into the church, aren’t there more important questions that they might ask? For instance: “Are you party to an invalid marriage?” Or: “Have you voted to support legal abortion?”
Ah, there’s the rub! Because Cardinal Cupich has recently been leading the charge to block a discussion of Eucharistic coherence, currently scheduled to take place at the US bishops’ meeting in June. He and other bishops have argued that the discussion should not take place, because the American bishops lack the “high standard of consensus” that would be required for a strong statement on the issue.
Now explain to me, please, how the US bishops’ conference can develop that “high standard of consensus,” if there is to be no discussion of the question. Clearly Cardinal Cupich and his allies are not being entirely forthright about their reasons for wanting to avoid the topic.
There are other signs of dissimulation here, too. Although in theory Cardinal Cupich strongly supports Pope Francis in his call for decentralized decision-making, in practice he lobbied energetically for Vatican intervention to curtail an open discussion among the American bishops. Although he complains that the discussion might cause divisions, he and his allies deepened the fractures within the episcopal conference by urging a late change to the agenda—the elimination of a topic that had already been approved by the usual process.
Above all, Cardinal Cupich and his allies do not want “dialogue” on this issue. For all their insistence on open discussion, it is an open discussion that they are doing their utmost to thwart. The incessant calls for “dialogue” are a smokescreen: an attempt to ensure that the issue will remain unresolved indefinitely.
The proponents of this inauthentic “dialogue” argue that instead of upholding the perennial teaching of the Church, instead of fulfilling the clear demands of canon law, pastors should engage in quiet, personal conversations with those prominent Catholics who support the slaughter of the unborn. There is, of course, no reason why a pastor cannot undertake that dialogue and fulfill his canonical duties. But again there is a deeper point at issue.
In nearly 50 years since the Roe v. Wade decision, some of this country’s most prominent Catholic politicians have grown steadily more forthright in their support for unrestricted legal abortion on demand. While bishops trumpet the need for ever more “dialogue,” politicians scoff at the Church’s moral law, and denigrate those who uphold it. Show me one case of an active Catholic politician who has repented of his support for abortion, and embraced the pro-life cause, after a quiet conversation with his bishop. Just one case, and I’ll take the argument for “dialogue” a bit more seriously.
The above comes from a May 27 posting on Catholic Culture by Phil Lawler. Lawler has served as editor of Crisis magazine, Catholic World Report and wrote the books The Faithful Departed, on the decline of Catholic influence in Boston, and Lost Shepherd, on the policies of Pope Francis.
Ranting against Cardinal Cupich is always good for internet clicks.
Hah. Behold the same Cupich, ranting against our border policies wherein “undocumented” “migrants” are not allowed entry into the US. I smell the two-faced, double standard from here.
Can anyone imagine this man resisting communist rule the way JP2 did in Poland.
Lawler’s great, but he’s only putting a light on what’s already obvious to many: men like Cupich are not faithful Catholics, much less bishops, and they make zero sense to anyone with common sense.
If we’re going to meet darkness with light, then for crying out loud already, let’s call a spade a spade. Men like Cupich are wolves, enemies of the Church.
That’s how you say it, dear Lawler — wolves, enemies.
Why?
No answers, just someone you love to hate?
What?
Preponderance of American Hierarchy:
Lackeys of the State
His way of making wimpy little wanna be tough guy/gals feel included in parish life. They must be ignored and ridiculed.
How about checking for venereal diseases?
Great… all the power-hungry Karens will sign up as greeters to enforce the vaccine card requirement.
What I’d do… wear the mask going inside and then remove it when you are seated. They won’t remember who had the card and who didn’t.
If you have had a vaccine is considered protected medical information under the HIPAA Law. No one has a right to gain this medical information other than your medical doctor or if you sign a release. And then they can’t give that information to anyone else. What Cupich is doing is a violation of law by compelling people to release their medical information to a door greeter and the community. Would they have a right to ask if you have AIDS or Hepatitis? No. No one has to answer. Of all places where Catholic should be protected from harassment they are being harassed by a Cardinal of the Catholic Church! Our Lady of Fatima pray for us! Cupich being a bishop is a punishment on the Catholic Faithful. I can promote the legislation for the murder of millions of children and go to Communion, without hesitation, but if I am a smelly little sheep as the pope says, I get questioned if I can even come in the door of a Catholic Church.
No it’s not a violation of HIPAA. The request is voluntary, by which you imply consent by producing the card. Please don’t opine about legal matters you apparently aren’t qualified for.
So show me your Catholic papers – some of us are curious – all you gotta do is “produce the card”. Yeah, you should be miffed.
Can’t wait to see some of the dust-ups in the vestibule when someone takes a swing at one of the guards.
“All are welcome.” “All are welcome”. “All are welcome in this place”.
How about— are you a Democrat? Did you vote for the pro-abortion Biden? If you answer yes, do not present yourself for Holy Communion.
Do you believe in the Real Presence? If not, do not present yourself for Holy Communion.
Love your comment. That should be a good reminder for the Bishop himself.
I am very much pro-vaccine, but this doesn’t seem like a good way proceed. Better to have vaccination clinics before and after Mass right there on Church grounds, and for the rest of the summer to just require everyone to wear masks and provide more masses so none of them are particularly crowded.
These Bishops want more dialog on giving the Eucharist to these politicians. Looks like these Bishops should look at Biden proposed budget. It removed the Hyde Amendment. More dialog. Starting teaching and leading like Christ.
Can’t provide more Masses, as priests booked ‘solid’ on weekends. And they interpret tradition as saying they can’t ordain women. Looks like we’re stuck with what we’ve got.
We are grateful for what we have and they cannot ordain women.
To YFC: Spike protein had been found: in blood circulation causing cardiovascular disorders and blood clotting; crossing the blood/brain and causing memory issues; concentrating in breast milk on nursing infants causing GI bleeding disorders. One case documents a 5-month old admitted to the hospital with Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia after nursing from mother who had just been vaccinated. The baby died. These are supported by studies.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/vaccine-researcher-admits-big-mistake-says-spike-protein-is-dangerous-toxin
Peggy, thanks for at least supplying a link so I can investigate what you are talking about.
Of course spike protein is found circulating in the bloodstream. That’s how it works. The mRNA codes for spike protein, which is produced in circulating cells and either presented on the surface of the cell or secreted, whereupon the immune system recognizes the protein as foreign, and mounts an immune response against it. This should surprise no one.
As to whether the protein is itself toxic is highly suspect. Just because something is present doesn’t mean it does damage. If it were toxic, as this article states, we would have seen it by now in the hundreds of millions of people who have received not one but two doses of the mRNA vaccines.
The J & J and Astra Zeneca vaccines cause blood clots in roughly 1 in 100,000 women of child-bearing age. The cause is unknown, but may be related to the viral vector used, not to the COVID protein produced, since we don’t see those clots at all with the mRNA vaccines.
It is really important that we stick to facts not to statements like the finding is a “plausible explanation”. That means it is a hypothesis, not a fact, and the explanation they seek are for extraordinarily rare complications of the vaccine. Let’s stick to the fact that since vaccines have become widespread, COVID cases have dropped dramatically among the vaccinated, and that in real-world situations where vaccinated and unvaccinated people were exposed to symptomatic COVID patients at the same time, the vaccinated people were 85% less likely to show symptoms compared to the unvaccinated people in the same facilities, and had virtually no hospitalizations or fatalities. This has been demonstrated in Chicago area skilled nursing facilities as well as one very well done study in Kentucky.
I for one would rather have spike protein circulating for a week or two, which is the entire purpose of the vaccines, rather than have the whole virus with its spike protein and a whole lot more circulating uncontrolled, wreaking havoc on my lungs and spreading virulently among my family and friends.
Peggy, Because I have refused the “vaccine”, I am already seeing backlash from my neighbors. I did extensive research on the “vaccine” and the damage it has done to so many people. Of course you won’t find this on the evening news, but the deaths and disabilities caused by this “vaccine” is horrendous and out there if one looks. I was shocked and horrified to find a recent report and photos of thousands upon thousands of cadaver bags that are being shipped all over the United States. Pray tell, why would all those bags be needed all of a sudden? I just shake my head in disbelieve that people just roll up their sleeve and celebrate getting their jab. The latest news is all the people that are coming down with COVID-19 after they have been “vaccinated”.
You have been spending WAYYYY too much time on the Internet.
Find something constructive to do.
How would you know? Spending WAYYYY too much time on the Internet?
How do your neighbors know?
The COVID vaccine is like the flu vaccine. You can still get COVID and you can still spread COVID.
Our doctor said that the vaccine has made a huge difference in how many of his patients are getting it and how sick they are getting when they get it.
We have the lowest new case count since our first month with cases. Praise Jesus. Thank you Mary. Thank you to all who participated in the Rosary Marathon.
Thank science not Mary.
I thank Mary and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the Eternal Father. I am also grateful to those who have worked long hours with great care to take care of the sick, to develop the vaccines, and to those who had to work to keep everybody in food, gas, Amazon purchases and to those who stayed home and wore masks, washed their hands etc and did everything possible to stop the spread.
I found it profound that every Rosary marathon event went almost perfectly with one exception-when the bishop in Germany lifted the Black Madonna of Altotting to bless the people, the crown fell off the head of the Baby Jesus.
Christ isn’t King there anymore, and He knows it.
Sheila, the body bags were distributed in spring of 2020, and in California, at the end of the last year, because COVID deaths were skyrocketing. They aren’t being distributed now. About 600,000 Americans died due to COVID. Worldwide, the number of deaths is about 6.5 million. From COVID. Not from the vaccine.
Sorry I mistyped. 3.5 million have died worldwide of COVID
Funny the first thing in Nazi Germany was show me your papers! You have every right to say get lost.
Remarkable that the Cardinal requires vaccine cards for church entry, but wouldn’t dare ask people if they were in the state of grace before receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion. So sad.
He requires vaccines OR masking.
“If you show me yours, I’ll show you mine.” What? No? Why not? It’s equity, ya know.(Based on experience in traffic engineering, there’s nothing like a good bottleneck to get a politician’s attention, whether they wear a suit or a cassock.)
The faithless, heterodox, diminutive Blase Cupich is anathema.
If I identify as someone who had gotten the vaxx,, those greeters who deny me entrance to the vaccinated pews could rightly be called TransVaxx a phobes.
I am older and got very sick after taking the 2nd dose of Pfiser. The nurse who vaccinated me, had previously warned me, that the same thing happenned to her, as well as to many others! I was recently told that within a year, everyone who was fully vaccinated, may have to get a booster shot! And after that, perhaps booster shots, yearly! This concerns me for my health and my age. I don’t want to get sick again, as I did, after my 2nd Pfiser shot! I do not care for Cdl. Cupich’s poor clerical leadership. But Chicago is a big city, with many kinds of problems, including people with serious health issues– which can be a danger to the public. COVID-19 just adds more serious health threats. I think it is much smarter to not mess with vaccination cards. I think a much better way to go, is simply to ask everyone to wear a mask and socially distance. That is what I do, though I am fully vaccinated, and have my card. And I would limit the numbers of people in smaller churches. Lots of fools may selfishly, unknowingly infect others, by seeking to please themselves, refusing to wear their masks and socially distance– all for selfish, childish personal comfort! That is terribly immoral and unChristian. Plus– the immunity of those who are fully vaccinated, may not last, and a booster may be due within 8-12 months! Don’t take chances with yours or anyone else’s life– and pretend to be a good, Mass-going Catholic. That is my view.